‘Despicable Me 2′ Trailer and Poster: Gru Must Save the World

A new trailer for Despicable Me 2 has premiered – and, for a change of pace, this one includes the film’s actual main character Gru (voiced by Steve Carell)! Most of the promo is, once again, devoted to footage of cutesy Minion antics, but there is some genuine insight about the plot, which involves the (ex-) super-villain being kidnapped recruited by a secret organization that wants him to… (you guessed it) save the world from another diabolical mastermind.

The Despicable Me sequel reunites its predecessor’s co-screenwriters Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, as well as co-directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. Meanwhile, rounding out the voice cast once again, are Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Fisher and Russell Brand, with new additions Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder), Ken Jeong (The Hangover), and Al Pacino – voicing the baddie who Gru, his army of Minions and adopted daughters must take down together.

Watch the new trailer above, then check out the latest poster below:

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Judging by the trailers so far, Despicable Me 2 is going to be one of those sequels that plays it completely safe and delivers exactly what you would expect (re: more of what propelled the first installment to a worldwide gross over $500 million). So, we’ll definitely be getting all the animated slapstick comedy, cartoony mischief and 3D tomfoolery from Part 1, but I suspect the mix of bells and whistles with a tender storyline might not be as well-balanced in the sequel. In other words, this seems less Toy Story 2 and more Cars 2.

On a related note:

Are there going to be dual interweaving storylines in Despicable Me 2 – one dealing with Gru saving the world, the other involving Minions being abducted by mysterious forces (as shown in the previous trailer) – or is Pacino’s character behind it all?

If you find the Minions’ oh-so-wacky shenangians grating now, just wait until they get their own spinoff movie arriving in theaters by Christmas 2014.